Pretty interesting news yesterday that Hedo Turkoglu backed out of his deal with Portland to possibly sign with the Raptors.

Now, confirmation from Turk’s agent – From Doug Smith’s blog:

“We just had a nice chat with Lon Babby, Hedo’s agent, and there will be no more shenanigans.

Turk’s coming.

“We’ll be available when (Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo) is ready. We’re hopeful it’s Wednesday but if it pushes over to Thursday, so be it.”

Why does he want to come here?

Well, it’s a great city, Turk likes playing in the Eastern Conference and the deal’s for about $3 million more than the offer from Portland. It should come in at about $53 million but there’s no way of knowing for sure until the cap numbers are released next week.

About the love for the city? Said Babby:

“It’s uniquely suited for him. That’s his background. He’s looking forward to joining the Turkish community there.”

First of all, well done Smith. This is the first place I’ve seen any real confirmation of the deal, and it’s from a reliable source with quotes, so it’s gotta be true.

As for the deal, Smith gave a nice rundown of the pros and cons – I’ll give my opinions alongside in bold:

“Let’s look at some pros:

Another good ball-handler and initiator on the court. This, more than anything, was Toronto greatest weakness last season, and definitely the team’s greatest need. At times the ball handling was so pathetic that fans actually expected Jason Kapono to create and score. Honestly, it’s been so long since the Raps had a player that could score off the dribble (Vince Carter anyone? seriously) that fans will be amazed how much easier points come for Chris Bosh when defenders actually have to worry about someone on the perimeter. Turk is still pretty athletic, very versatile, and can score when the other starters have checked out of the game.

A guy you can give the ball to at the end of the game and say, ‘make a play’ while you stretch the floor with Jose (a very good three-point shooter) in the corner. Much of the same here, and it’s still true. Raps fans generally have this ridiculous notion that it’s fair to ask Bosh to be the closer late in games. As if any other team turns to their power forward (Dirk is the exception) at the end of games. You NEED a slasher from the perimeter if you want to have a chance at winning tight ballgames. Now the Raps do.

Let’s just say – as Jeff Blair first pointed out on a radio show last night – that Bosh leaves (and no, I don’t have any idea if he will). Do you feel more comfortable going forward with Calderon, Bargnani and Turkoglu or Calderon, Bargnani and Marion? A no-brainer over here. Agreed, to an extent. But if Bosh leaves, this signing serves very little purpose, since it creates a “win now,” or at least a “win soon” mentality. Trading Bosh for a few good pieces could be the route, but if the team loses him for nothing, they’re screwed either way.

You can put Hedo and Bargnani in the pick and roll; you could never do that with Shawn. Well yes, since Hedo can shoot. But it’s not like the Raps were short on the pick and roll game before.

Can you make this case: Toronto has the same kind of starting lineup now as the defending Eastern Conference champions? To wit: Calderon as Nelson, only better at many things like, oh, shooting and dishing out assists; Bosh in the Howard role, the guy who rolls to the basket on the high screen and roll, a far more accomplished scorer and while not a defensive intimidator, he’s passable; Bargnani does as much offensively as Lewis (check the stats, they are almost exactly the same); Turkoglu’s Turkoglu and, well, maybe DeMar DeRozan becomes Courtney Lee, which I don’t think is a stretch because now he doesn’t have to do anything offensively except make cuts to the basket, get on the boards and use his athleticism.

Well, here Smith completely ignores the need to play defense.

Look, the point is that Orlando’s roster was better last year than Toronto’s is right now. They also had a one-year younger Turk, and he’ll only be aging now that he’s hit 30. The Raps will have an exciting starting lineup, though, and they’ll score a ton. I just wouldn’t say it’s in Orlando’s class right now.

Let’s look at some cons:

The bench may not be deep. But Ukic this year will be an improvement over Solomon last year; Reggie Evans remains an excellent pickup and, believe me, Bryan’s trying to get something done to get another two and/or three in town. Right now, that’s a concern. There is also a lot of time between now and October. Yep, the bench is thinner than sliced cheese right now. We’ll see what Colangelo does, and fortunately it’s the summer of a recession, and some decent players might be signed for cheap.

Too much money. Turk’s deal is big but they’ve projected the numbers out and it won’t hamper them doing something with Bargnani or Bosh when the time comes. Indeed, it is too much money, but teams almost always overpay for free agents. It’s just the way the league works, and if you want talent, you have to pay for it. It’s worth it if there’s flexibility to continue improving, but if the Raps are stuck below the elite teams for the next 3-4 years, it’s not worth it at all.

Poor defence. Yes, another concern. But with a full training camp to install a system and the presence of Mark Iavaroni, it might not be as bad as you think. As one guy who’s in the gym with them a lot said to me yesterday: “If we work on defence every day, they have to get better.” Don’t buy it – Maybe they can improve a bit, I guess, but it’s hard to teach defence. Evans will help, for sure, but fans should start readying themselves for really high scoring games.

Overall, at the very least, it’s an exciting deal for the Raptors, and it makes the upcoming season a lot more intriguing. Would Marion have fit better on the team? I don’t think so, but trust me, the Raps will desperately miss his rebounding and defence. If everyone stays healthy, it could turn into the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. But barring more moves, that’s about it right now. It will be a lot of fun to have a clutch player to pair with Bosh, and Turk will have more than his share of great plays over the next few seasons. But again, it puts pressure on Colangelo to win something of substance soon, or really, what was the point?

-DL

Smith is here.

Another great story from our friends RotoRob

Adding Rafer Alston at the trade deadline was huge for the Magic.

The Orlando Magic is having a fantastic season, building on last yearís success and riding an improved defense towards what could be a 60-win campaign. However, itís reasonable to wonder if Orlando is hitting a wall, after losing six of 14 games in February, a record that might have been .500 for the month had it not been for a great comeback against the Sixers Saturday night.

The Magic is firmly entrenched in first place in the Southeast Division, and isnít really being challenged for third overall in the Eastern Conference, but with Cleveland not slowing down, Orlando is slipping a bit further away from the Cavs and is not gaining on Boston, either. Is this a legitimate contender? The talent is definitely there, but is this team tough enough to go deep in the playoffs? Thatís the big question facing the Magic as the season winds down.

Adding Rafer Alston at the deadline was a stroke of genius, plugging a big hole left by the injured Jameer Nelson. Hedo Turkoglu is starting to play more like the man who was the NBAís Most Improved Player last season as opposed to the inconsistent, often poor-shooting performer heís been most of the season. Orlando lost Mickael Pietrus to another injury, but Courtney Lee has stepped in admirably and, with his recent performance, is providing the Magic with the most consistent play itís gotten out of the two-guard spot all season.

Best of all, Orlando comes home for a pair of games this week in the hopes that it can start to string some wins together after a middling few weeks. If it hopes to successfully chase down Cleveland or Boston, the Magic canít afford any more letdowns this season.

While the Magic offense isnít quite as good as it was last season, when it was the top-scoring team in the East, it’s not exactly chopped liver this year, remaining among the best in the association.

Rashard Lewis was a big part of that attack earlier this season. In fact, he was on a serious tear the last time we checked in on him, but his touches have been down the past couple of months, and February was a real bust, as his shooting went into the tank. Less shots + less makes = unhappy fantasy owners. On the plus side, Lewis snapped a slump and ended the month on a high Saturday, leading the way with 8-for-12 shooting from the floor and 2-for-2 from the line for 23 points. Orlando, one of the most prolific 3-point shooting teams in the NBA, was filling it up Saturday with 15 treys, and Lewis led the way, canning five of them (on eight tries) and pitching in with three assists as well. And with shootout inducing Phoenix coming to town Tuesday, Lewis has a chance to put together back-to-back solid efforts for his owners for the first time since January. Lewis still isnít getting any more touches than he did last season, and when he is getting the looks, the fact that his shot has been in decline for three years running is a concern. He remains an amazing source of 3-pointers ñ give him at least one in 52 straight games ñ but I could see him slipping into the fourth round in next yearís drafts.

Like I said, the Magic likes to employ the deep ball. In fact, Orlando tied a franchise mark last night when it heaved up 37 shots from beyond the arc Saturday. Holy long distance attack, Batman. Lee wasnít exactly red hot, but he led the parade with 12 attempts among his team-high 18 shots for the game. Thatís the most touches the rook has ever had in a game ñ a fantastic sign for his owners. By the way, you can count me among his newest owners, as I got fed up waiting for Rudy Fernandez to earn more PT in Portland, dumping the Spaniard for a different freshman. So far, Iím pretty stoked about the results.

Saturdayís win over Philly was huge. Coming off a disheartening home loss to a severely struggling Detroit team on Friday, there was definitely reason to begin questioning whether Orlando was a contender or pretender. But coming back from 11 points down in the fourth quarter in Philly against a Sixers team that plays pretty well at home will help shut up the critics. The Magic dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring Philadelphia 36-20, with Lee draining 13 points himself, the most heís ever scored in a single stanza. Orlando is now 21-9 on the road, third best in the NBA, and thatís got to scare the crap out of any potential playoff opponent because stealing wins on the road during the postseason is what makes a champion. So as long as the Magic maintain its no fear policy on the road, it will be handful for anyone.

If the season ended today, Orlando would meet the 76ers in the first round — a match up that the Magic would probably be chomping at the bit over. Orlando has now won four straight and eight of its past nine games over Philly. By taking all three games against the Sixers this year, Orlando has swept them for the first time since 1997-98. That Magic squad was a .500 team led by Penny Hardaway, by the way.

The thing about the Magic is it really lives and dies by the 3-ball. It had made just 10-of-30 through three quarters, well below its season average of 39 per cent. So youíd think Orlando would scale back on the perimeter game in the fourth quarter, right? Uh, maybe not. The Magic attempted another seven treys in the final quarter, hitting five of them to change the complexion of the game. Like any jump shooting team, Orlando is prone to slumps, but full marks for plowing through on Saturday.